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Yes, coffee bars were popular back in the 1990s. One of my CS professors opened one up. In "Friends," they often go to a coffee bar. They had couches and comfy

Yes, coffee bars were popular back in the 1990s. One of my CS professors opened one up. In "Friends," they often go to a coffee bar. They had couches and comfy chairs to chill in. You just went there and had coffee and hung out. These were mom and pop shops and probably all got eaten up by corporate behemoths like Starbucks. Just goes to show, when a company goes public, you are no longer the customer, the shareholders are.

lotsofpulp 2y ago
>Just goes to show, when a company goes public, you are no longer the customer, the shareholders are. I read the same sentiment about when publicly listed companies go private.
- Clubber 2y ago
  Yes I should have said, "has outside investors," or "institutional investors." It would have fit better. PE companies seem even worse. I often see them take a known brand, cut quality, jack up the prices and bleed the company dry. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/private-equity-rolled-red-lobster-rcna153397 https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/private-equity-rol...
  - FilosofumRex 2y ago
    Don't forget the evil university endowments flying under the radar of non-profits. They destroy local shops & economy by replacing them with either for profit corporate tenants who can pay exuberant rents, or worse, empty, abandoned, desolate buildings with exuberant mark-to-model real estate values. Harvard and Kendall Squares in Cambridge, MA are the best examples of what ruthless endowments do. Kendall Square is entirely owned by MIT and is new shiny and totally unaffordable to non-VC/PE crowd and shuts down after dark. Harvard Square is replete with empty buildings worth billions on HMC's books. The late night 2-story Starbucks with lots of seating and occasional live music is gone and replaced with a tiny one with no seating which closes at 9pm.
- bigstrat2003 2y ago
  I think that depends on the means of going private. Original owners get together to take their baby back? Probably going to go well. Private equity firm swoops in to extract $$$? Probably going to crash and burn.

lotsofpulp 2y ago

>Just goes to show, when a company goes public, you are no longer the customer, the shareholders are. I read the same sentiment about when publicly listed companies go private.

Clubber 2y ago
Yes I should have said, "has outside investors," or "institutional investors." It would have fit better. PE companies seem even worse. I often see them take a known brand, cut quality, jack up the prices and bleed the company dry. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/private-equity-rolled-red-lobster-rcna153397 https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/private-equity-rol...
- FilosofumRex 2y ago
  Don't forget the evil university endowments flying under the radar of non-profits. They destroy local shops & economy by replacing them with either for profit corporate tenants who can pay exuberant rents, or worse, empty, abandoned, desolate buildings with exuberant mark-to-model real estate values. Harvard and Kendall Squares in Cambridge, MA are the best examples of what ruthless endowments do. Kendall Square is entirely owned by MIT and is new shiny and totally unaffordable to non-VC/PE crowd and shuts down after dark. Harvard Square is replete with empty buildings worth billions on HMC's books. The late night 2-story Starbucks with lots of seating and occasional live music is gone and replaced with a tiny one with no seating which closes at 9pm.
bigstrat2003 2y ago
I think that depends on the means of going private. Original owners get together to take their baby back? Probably going to go well. Private equity firm swoops in to extract $$$? Probably going to crash and burn.